Without A Curse
by KelbyWoo14
Summary: A/U: Regina never casts her curse and Emma is raised by the Charmings as the Princess. Can you imagine what the strong willed and wild Emma might inflict upon the royal court at the fateful age of fourteen? What does this change of events mean for the others from the Enchanted Forest? Will fate still lead them down the same path or will everything change?


Emma woke up to a lovely voice she knew as her mother's. She was singing a tune that Emma knew very well.

Queen Snow opened the door to her daughter's room. "Happy Birthday little girl."

"Little?" Emma asked pouting slightly.

Snow smiled. "I do admit that at fourteen you are no longer little, but you will always be to me."

Emma rolled her eyes and pushed the covers off of her. She shivered when her feet touched the floor. It was cold because the fire hadn't been lit. "Why didn't anyone light the fire? It's freezing."

"Like snow?" Her mother laughed.

"It's not funny."

"Everyone is busy planning for your ball, I never sent anyone up. I'm sorry."

Snow went over to the wardrobe and pulled out a bright pink dress.

Emma sneered at the thought of wearing it.

"Don't give me that look."

"I don't want to wear _that_."

Snow sighed. "Promise me that you'll wear it tonight and you can wear whatever you choose all day."

Emma nodded happily and ran to hug her mother. Snow played with Emma's long blonde hair.

Emma pulled out the worst dress she owned from the back of the wardrobe. It was a grey cotton dress with black tights and leather boots. Her father had procured it so that Emma might go unnoticed in the village market.

As she was lacing up the shoes her mother cleared her throat. "Are you sure?"

Emma smiled. "Yes."

"Take a seat." Snow said, pointing towards the mirror.

"But…"

"I said you could choose your outfit. I said nothing about your hair."

Emma pouted and crossed her arms. She sat in the chair while her mother intricately wove her wavy curls into a handful of different braids that came together at the back and trickled down into what was left unbraided.

"Finished. Happy Birthday." Snow leaned down and gave her daughter a kiss on the cheek.

Emma waited for her mother to leave before climbing out the window.

There was a ledge that ran around the length of the wall. There was a balcony with a staircase not far from her room that would let her get down to the lawn on the east end of the castle.

Waiting under the balcony was another girl dressed in the worst outfit she owned. She was blonde like Emma only her hair was more white than yellow.

"Emma!" She shouted.

Emma put a finger to her lips as she reached the stairs. As Emma climbed down she tore her stockings on accident. It added to the tattered look that the girls were going for.

"Do you want to get caught, Alexandra?"

She shook her head.

Emma smiled and grabbed her hand. "Then let's go." They ran across the lawn towards the gates.

Snow and Ella took a few steps out onto the balcony. "Do they really think that we don't know what they're doing?" Ella asked Snow.

"They don't realize we were once their age."

Snow turned to the guard that was waiting inside the ballroom. "Can you tell someone to go into the market and look after the Princesses without letting them know you're there?"

He bowed. "As you wish Your Majesty." He smiled as he headed out.

Meanwhile Emma was already headed down the other side of the gate while Alex clung helplessly to the top.

"Emma! Help."

Emma sighed and went back up. She guided Alex the rest of the way up and helped pull her over the top.

"Follow me exactly okay." They both started to climb down.

The guards came back to their post just as the girls took off running down the path towards the village.

When they finally made it to the town line they slowed to a walk. "I told you we could do it." Emma boasted happily.

Alex smiled, "You were right, but we will be in trouble when we get back."

"It's our last chance. They're commissioning painting after this party. The whole kingdom will know what we look like and then we'll never have any fun."

"We can still have fun." Alex argued just as they entered the market place. The girls stopped for a moment and marveled at the chaos and the large number of people. They were all moving from stall to stall buying food and playing games of chance.

Emma whispered, "_Fun_ that only goes along with the title Your Highness. It won't be the same."

"Growing up isn't so bad." Alex said firmly.

A boy at the blacksmith's stall laughed and leaned against the stonewall of one of the shops. "You should listen to your friend girly. I've been to a place where no one grows up; it's not all fun and games. Trying to stay young never works out so great."

"And what would you know about growing up?" Emma asked angrily.

"No one to look after me, working for my keep, that's what I know. You can't tell by my boyish face, but I'm a lot older than I look."

"You couldn't be more than sixteen."

He ran his fingers through his short black hair and rolled up his sleeves. As he crossed his arms Alex gasped.

Alex grabbed Emma's hand once she saw the brand on the boy's arm. "He's a pirate." She whispered.

Emma took a step forward pulling away from Alex.

Everything about the boy seemed like the adventure stories that her parents always told. "What's your name, boy?"

"What's yours?" He asked grinning.

"I asked you first." Emma said.

"Although you dress the part you are not from this town, Princess."

Emma's face fell.

"If your braids had not been enough of a warning your attitude would have given you away. No one enquires the name of a known pirate."

Emma recovered quickly. "What if I had only wanted to know the name of the person who did such fine work on these swords?" Emma brushed her hand against the hilts of a few of them.

Emma gave in after he didn't respond. He just stood there grinning.

"What if you were wrong in guessing my identity?"

The boy smiled very confidently. "Then I would have only flattered the girl, but you are her highness, are you not?"

Alex tried to pull her away. "Emma, come on."

"Emma." He repeated in a whisper.

"You know mine, now yours." She crossed her arms and starred him down.

"You will get many a confession from that look, Princess. I surrender. The name's Baelfire, but you can call me Bae."

Alex managed to finally pull her away from the blacksmith shop. The rest of the day they spent buying trinkets here and there, but Emma only had one thing on her mind, or rather someone.


End file.
